The Deranged Zora
by EbonyShroud
Summary: Link finally believes he is free of Ruto, the Zora princess. However, she has some plans of her own and he has elude her new plans before he is married to her.
1. The Plan

**A/N: This story is the second part of the Unwanted Love Trilogy and is the sequel to Escaping the Zora. However, it is not necessary to read the first story in order to read this one.**

* * *

It was a beautiful night, the moon was full in the dark sky, the stars twinkled merrily, and almost everyone in Hyrule was asleep in their warm comfortable beds. One of the few that were still awake in Hyrule was a boy named Link, just turned seventeen, lying relaxed inside the horse enclosure on Lon-Lon Ranch. Epona lay asleep beside him, her warm breath ruffling his hat and hair as she dreamt. He stared up at the moon, mulling over his previous adventures, grand thrilling adventures that had spanned across Hyrule and Terminia. He had abandoned his adventures to return to Hyrule and had turned to the family owning Lon Lon Ranch for work and residence, where he was welcomed onto the ranch happily by Talon and his daughter Malon.

"Link? Why are you still awake?" A soft voice asked. He looked away from the sky; Malon was sleepily staring at him.

"I thought you had gone to bed hours ago. You know we have to head to Kakariko Village tomorrow," She said, sitting next to Link. The boy looked up at the sky again.

"It's peaceful out here. No clucking, yelling, or neighing, just the sounds of the breeze and the insects," Link murmured. Malon sighed in amusement and annoyance.

"Yes, it is nice out tonight. But you do need to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a bright sunny Monday, a great beginning to another week, but it will not be good if you fall asleep in the cart or on Epona!" Malon replied, a faint smile beginning to form on her face. Link groaned in annoyance as he sat up.

"What?" Malon asked.

"Everything goes wrong for me on Mondays. I anger the cuccos, I break my leg, I set the barn on fire, I send an arrow into one of the cows, everything wrong seems to happen on a Monday!" Link groaned. He stood up, brushed the grass from his clothes, and helped Malon to her feet.

"Link, it is just another day of the week. It's not like something bad always happens on a Monday, just coincidence. I'll bet that tomorrow will be the best Monday ever," Malon replied, glaring as Link rolled his eyes. Link smiled in response to her glare and the two of them began walking towards the quiet farm-house.

* * *

In the Zora domain, several Zoras were also awake. Standing at the entrance to the princess's room, two zora guards appointed by her concerned father conversed worriedly.

"Is she ill? I've heard that several of the younger ones have fallen ill," The younger one asked, eyes flickering to the door before quickly looking away. Their princess had locked herself in her room ever since her father began discussions on how to act when suitors arrived to ask for her hand in marriage. It was customary for Zoras to become eligible to mate at their sixteenth birthday and Ruto's birthday was just a few days away. However, the princess became upset when her father began the discussions regarding her upcoming birthday and how she was to act at her age and excused herself to her room, where she remained for most of the day. A few servants had brought her food when she never arrived for the evening meal, but she ignored everyone who entered her room and did not touch the food left for her.

"I do not know, but her behavior is certainly off. She just might be overcome with joy at being close to the marriageable age," The other replied, avoiding looking at the door altogether.

"Maybe," The first admitted before glancing at the door and the platter of cold untouched food sitting in front of it.

* * *

Inside, the zora princess sat at her desk, carved out of dark navy coral. She nervously tapped her fingers on the desk, eyes dancing around the room as she pondered what she should do.

"I have to get married to Link before father chooses another suitor. I must. What should I do? He doesn't even consider Link as a suitor, only as a friend of the royal house," She questioned out loud, staring at the pictures she had drawn of him. They were not all good pictures, some even made the servants cringe and wonder what creature she had been attempting to draw, but she never gave up. She wanted pictures of her prince, letters from him about how dull his life was without her being by his side, and a happy matrimony. All she wanted was to marry the man of her dreams, her hylian prince. But, he refused and even gave back the Zora Sapphire, which was an engagement present. She bit her lip, mulling over her options desperately. Then, a maniacal grin grew on her face; she turned over one of the sheets of paper and began writing.

"If I could bring him here, I could be married to him on my birthday without any pesky meddlers like my father interrupting me," She whispered, writing down what she would need in order to pull off her plan. When she finished writing it down, she flipped the paper over and stroked the picture.

"Link, you will be my husband. Even if you refuse, you will not back out this time." She giggled, her head whirling with her idea.


	2. The River

The Zoras, having been woken from their sleep, stared uncertainly at their princess, who had just revealed a slightly demented plan.

"Milady, isn't it better just to marry someone more willing in you own species?" The captain asked, wondering if Ruto had swum off the deep end. The princess gave him a cold glare, she stormed up to him.

"He had already accepted it once. That is proof enough. Now do this for me or be banished!" She yelled. The captain stood his ground, succeding in not wincing at the shout.

"Do we have permission from the high king?" He asked. She lost her angry face; the face of an innocent child came through.

"But, of course. My father had approved last night, before he became ill," She sweetly replied. The zora looked skeptically at her, but with no further delay possible, he and his friends marched out. Ruto then went back into her chambers, giggling to herself.

* * *

The day was bright and sunny, there was not a single cloud blemishing the cerulean sky. Malon looked up, watching several variously colored birds dance across the sky.

"For the love of Nayru, Malon, give me the reins if the sky is too interesting to watch!" Malon looked down in surprise to see Link rip the reins free and keep the horse from sending the cart into one of the many ditches.

"Sorry!" Malon said, reaching for the reins again. Link kept it out of her reach.

"No, not if you keep drifting off," Link replied, smiling as Malon began to pout. her frown quickly evaporated into a smile again, it was hard to frown on such a beautiful day.

"Whoa, Epona. What's going on at the bridge?" Link asked as Epona came to a halt. Crossing the river, a line of carts trudged slowly across the old stone bridge.

"It looks like the Terminian Gypsies," Malon replied. Link gave her an odd look.

"The Terminian what?" He asked.

"Gypsies. They go to Kakariko Village for the summer festival. It looks like they are heading off to offer gifts to our princess," Malon replied, smiling at Link's dumbfounded face.

"Come on, this has happened before. My father had us drive right through the river," Malon quickly stole the reins and brought Epona to a slow trot towards the river.

"The water doesn't spoil the milk?" Link asked.

"Not if you know where to go," She replied, Epona snorted in an irritated manner as she trotted into the cold water. Link looked back as the cart went into the water; it was not high enough for the water to get to the precious milk.

"See, no problem." She smiled triumphantly before a zora dashed in front of Epona. The horse reared in surprise, the zora dodged away from her flailing hooves and looked at the confused drivers.

"Watch out, one of the underground currents broke into the river!" The zora said before dashing towards the carts. They turned to look, a huge wave of water was barreling towards them.

"Link!" Malon cried, knowing that the wave would crash over their cart. Link quickly got to the harnesses, unlocking them for Epona. The horse wildly broke the last two leather locks and barely raced to shore. The wave hit the cart, toppling over the cart. Link leapt for Malon, protecting her as they toppled into the raging water. The crates tipped out of the cart, Malon would have cried if she and Link were not busy trying to get to shore. Then, she saw a flash of blue and realized that the zora had come back. Then, she felt Link become limp and then torn away. She reached out, desperately trying to find him. She felt warm wet fur and grabbed to it, Epona had come back to help. She wrapped her cold arms around her neck and the horse waded back to shore. The whole time, she looked for Link. She saw the zora, swimming fast upriver and a flash of green. She realized what had happened, wondering why as Epona reached the shore and she slumped tiredly to the ground.

* * *

"Ow, my head," Link groaned, feeling a lump forming form where he had been struck. He sat up painfully, opening his eyes to his surroundings. He was in a stone room with an open door; he recognized the stone and believed he was in the Zora's Domain. but, how did he get here? He thought back to what he last remembered. He remembered the wave, getting Epona free and trying to help Malon. Then, a blue flash, someone grabbing his arm, and then pain before blacking out.

"Oh, darling! You are awake!" He looked up startled, hearing the familiar voice and seeing someone come through the door.


	3. The Discovery

"Ruto?" Link angrily asked as the zora princess skipped happily into the room. She seemed pleased with herself.

"Yes, it is I! How are you, Linkie? I was worried that you wouldn't wake up anytime soon," Ruto giggled, her cheeks turning pink with excitement and glee. Link scowled angrily at the nickname the princess had given him and glared at her. She returned the glare with a bright smile.

"I am _very_ pissed off, what is going on?" He demanded furiously, getting off the floor.

"Well, then I know of something that will make you happy again. We are going to be married in four days!" She squealed happily, jumping up and down like a maniac. Link gawked at her, wondering if she finally had lost her mind.

"Oh, you are so happy that you can't even speak! Oh, Linkie, that's the best thing you could give me!" She said, running giddly forward and hugging him. He shoved her away; she fell on her rear but quickly hopped to her feet.

"Are you mad? I refused and gave back the Zora Sapphire!" He yelled.

"But, it was our engagement! You couldn't refuse that!" Ruto said in surprise as she stopped jumping in glee. Her expression of mirth melted away and was replaced with confusion and annoyance.

"Don't you remember me giving back the Zora Sapphire?" Link challenged. Ruto glanced at the floor, trying to hide the look of shame on her face as she remembered her fight with Saria. Link felt faint pleasure that she was not so forgetful.

"Since you now remember that I gave back the Sapphire and refused the marraige, I am going to leave. So go marry some other Zora and stay out of my life!" Link growled as he stalked to the door. Two guards with spears came in, glaring dangerously at him. He reached for his weapon; it was missing from his back. He checked again, only to discover that all of his weapons were missing.

"Link, you can't leave." Ruto replied quietly. Link turned, Ruto was glaring coldly at him, her happy demeanor had vanished like smoke.

"Right now, you are in the Zora's Domain. As my father is sick, I have to rule in his place until he is well again. So, guess what, Link. You are going to stay here and marry me, whether you want to or not," She said.

"You're insane, if you believe I will go through with this," Link growled. Ruto smiled in a threatening manner. She walked up and patted him softly on the cheek; he ignored the urge to flinch.

"Oh, Link. You are going to, and there is _nothing_ anyone can do abut it" She said, then swept by him, past the zora guards, and out the door. She stopped before vanishing from view, looking back past the guards.

"Oh, and Link? Don't try to run away, I don't want you to have a broken leg during the ceremony!" She called and then walked off. The zoras closed the door, leaving him in the room alone. He angrily punched the wall, ignoring the pain.

"Great, a crazy zora with the mad desire of marriage. I am going to get out of here or die!" He growled.

* * *

"No! What's going on?" Malon cried in shock and horror. She had spent most of the afternoon and evening trudging tiredly up the Zora River, a trek that effectively filled her shoes with mud and stained her white dress brown. She had reached the farthest point to a huge waterfall.

"There has to be another way!" She said, desperately looking around for a hidden path or a ledge that she could use climb and search. Seeing no way past the roaring waterfall, she quickly turned and started to venture back the way she came.

"If I can't get past, then someone in Kakariko Village must know how to get past. I have to go help Link!" She muttered to herself as she scrambled back through the muddy shore.


	4. Of Fish and Fire

"Excuse me?" Malon asked the man behind the counter, who was replacing his wares on the depleted shelves.

"Yes? Is there something you need?" He said as he turned around, eyes sparkling as he recognized Malon's worried face under the muck she got from tripping on the riverside.

"Malon! My goodness, you are a mess! Where is your friend and the milk?" He asked, looking out the window for the cart. All he saw was a damp Epona, pawing irritated at the ground. She self-consciously rubbed at the mud. Her attempt to wipe it off merely made the brown splotch worse.

"There is a little problem. There was a sudden flood at the river and the milk was destroyed. Furthermore, Link is somehow in the Zora's realm and I can't get to him. Do you know how to get there?" She asked, watching as he grabbed a handkerchief from behind the shelves and hand it to her. She thanked him and gratefully wiped away the thick muck.

"The zoras don't like to trade with us, unfortunately. I have no idea how you could get into their realm. You could ask one of the soldiers, they might know." She nodded as she gave back the cloth.

He took back the handkerchief and stowed it beneath the counter.

"Thank you, and I am sorry about the milk." The man smiled soothingly at her.

"It's no problem, things like this happen. Go talk to the guards before the sun sets or all they will say is to go inside for the night." He said, waving as she hurried out the door. As she hurried to the village gates, she wondered if Link was okay.

* * *

Link's stomach growled angrily as he sat in the chamber. He ignored the wretched smell coming from the plate near the door as he tried to think of a way out of this new mess. The zora princess had arrived two hours earlier with two raw fresh and obviously dead fish on an old plate, declaring that she had caught them herself and leaving it for him to eat before departing. He had always assumed that the zoras ate the fish raw, but seeing the fish looking like they had just been pulled from the stream made his stomach twist. He had eaten fish raw before, but he had his knife to scale the fish and separate the meat from the bones then. The smell coming from it was also intolerable.

"Link? Are you awake?" Link glared as Ruto came back in. She saw the untouched plate and her smile fell.

"Aren't you hungry? It's been almost six hours since you arrived." She exclaimed, walking over to him. Link got up, fury beginning to build again.

"Maybe you caught cold when you fell in the river. Are you sick, my darling?" She asked, about to press her hand to his forehead. He caught her arm, pushing it away. She began to scowl, then her eyes lit up and she laughed.

"Oh, I get it. Silly me, I forgot that hylians like all of their food cooked!" She giggled, skipping over to the plate and picking up the plate holding the decomposing fish.

"I'll cook your fish until we are married, but you need to get used to eating fish raw!" She laughed then disappeared past the guards. He resisted the urge for murder and sat down, carefully planning escape in his head to avoid the guards' suspicion.

* * *

"Hey, Malon, are you sure Link is in the Zora's realm?" Anju said as she finished setting up a bed for Malon. It was two hours after sunset, nearly seven hours since link had been dragged upriver.

"Yes, and even the guards don't know how to get there," Malon sighed, sadly looking out the window at the desolate town. Epona was in Anju's stable with her cuccos, Malon made sure to brush the horse an hour before.

"You might want to ask the captain of the guard. A normal soldier will not know. Honestly, I doubt they know anything other then how to daydream at their posts!" Anju said, trying to bolster the girl's hopes. Malon looked at her and smiled.

"You are probably right, thanks," Malon replied. Anju smiled as Malon walked away from the window to the makeshift bed.

"Good night, and don't worry. Its not like Link is in any danger," Malon smiled and nodded before Anju walked away.

* * *

"Here you go, darling!' Ruto exclaimed as she came back, proudly holding a plate bearing several chunks of something smoky and black. It might have once been fish, but she had burned it so bad that it now resembled fish-shaped lumps of coal. She caught sight of him; her pleased smile waned slightly as she realized he was asleep. She put the plate down beside him and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

"Sleep well, my prince." She whispered, and then walked out. Under the mop of gold hair, Link glared at the exit.

"I will die rather then marry you, fish-bitch." He furiously said, then pushed away the plate before he ended up eating it.


	5. Attempt to Escape

As Link finished his rough plot to escape the terrible fate of being married to a crazy fish, the zora head guard came in. Link glared at the zora, who walked right up to him.

"Can you write?" He asked.

"Yeah, and I can read too. Isn't it amazing?" Link snarled. The zora ignored Link's attitude and pulled out a piece of damp paper and a piece of graphite.

"Here, write a message and tell me who to give it to," The zora said hurriedly, looking back.

"Why?" Link asked skeptically.

"Why? Because now I believe our princess has gone crazy. High King zora became sick just after Ruto was told of her father's hopes of marrying one of the suitors he wants. She demanded our group to drag you here. She is also acting like High King Zora has died and left her as our ruler. I will not have this girl become queen." He replied.

"So, you are willing to be called traitor to protect everyone else?" Link asked as he took the paper.

"Damn right, Ruto has pushed it a little too far this time," The captain replied. Link nodded, and then quickly wrote something on the paper.

"Take this to Malon, a red-headed farm girl that should be either at Lon Lon Ranch or at Kakariko Village." The zora nodded, took the paper, placed it inside a bottle for protection, and then walked out the door.

"Link, what were you and the captain talking about?" The dreaded voice came and Ruto herself walked in. Link ignored her; her look of curiosity dwindled quickly.

"What is wrong, darling? The wedding is only two days away. You should be happy," She glumly said.

"Sure, I would be happy that I was captured and forced to participate in this horrible event," Link growled.

"Humph, go ahead and act that way. I'll go and help with the preparations and you will stay here and think about your attitude," She growled, and then stormed out. Link made a face at her retreating back and returned to his plan.

* * *

"What am I going to do, no one knows how to get to the Zora's domain, not even the captain," Malon dejectedly said to Epona. She was bringing the horse to wash in the stream, Epona managed to roll in dung and hay was plastered all over her body. She got the unwilling horse to the stream, took the bucket she had, and started splashing water on the horse.

"Are you possibly Miss Malon?" Malon jumped, dropping the bucket in shock. A tall zora was behind her.

"Yes, sir," She replied. The zora pulled out a bottle, uncorked it, and pulled out a piece of paper.

"This is from the hylian Link," He said, handing her the paper.

"Wait, is Link okay?" Malon asked, but the zora turned and dove into the stream, heading upriver.

"I hope he is okay." Malon grumbled, then looked at the note. ­­­­It was slightly smudged, but she could decipher what Link had written.

_Malon, there seems to be a slight problem between the zora princess and me. She is under the assumption that I am going to marry her. I have an idea, however. But if I do not arrive in Kakariko village by noon tomorrow, then I need you to head over to the castle and alert Princess Zelda. Link._

"One more day, oh I hope he is alright." Malon groaned, redrading it before putting it in one of ehr pockets and returning to washing Epona.

* * *

"Link! I told you not to try to escape and now look what happened!" Ruto cried, wiping away imaginary tears.

'So close, I was so close to freedom!' Link thought angrily as the Zora healer finished setting his broken leg. One of the zoras had his spear too close to the door, he managed to take it and knock out both of the guards. He then had run past several empty corridors to the waterfall. He dove off of the waterfall and was about to swim through the tunnel to Lake Hylia when the guard came from the lake. Link, while he was an excellent fighter, had a small problem with fighting in water. That gave the zora the advantage he needed.

"How did he get this, princess?" The healer asked as she gathered her supplies.

"He was dared by one of the pranksters to jump off the waterfall and struck his leg on the way down," The zora princess lied; the healer gave her a skeptical look but bought the lie. When the healer left, Ruto turned angrily on him.

"Link, didn't I tell you that if you tried to escape, we would break your leg! Now, I have to arrange a way to get you around with that leg!" She cried, rushing out of the room. Link groaned, carefully adjusting so as not to jar his broken leg.

"Great, now I can only hope that Malon got my message and will get Zelda's help," He groaned.

* * *

The captain hurried in, noticing the new bustle inside of the domain. He hurried to his quarters when one of his fellow guards stopped them.

"Captain, I need you to come with me," The zora said.

"I need to rest, mate. I worked all day," He replied, the guard grabbed his arm.

"I am sorry, captain. But Princess Ruto has demanded for you to be put under arrest for conspiracy,"


	6. The Blessed Wedding Day

Malon impatiently stood by the gates, ignoring the fact that it was boiling hot outside and the only other person outside in the heat was the poor guard that looked like he was going to faint.

"Come on, Link. I'm getting really worried," She hissed, switching her feet nervously.

"Ma'am, its almost midday. Why don't you get inside before you get sick," A new guard said as he walked up to take the other man's post. The sick-looking soldier smiled gratefully at him and staggered off to get into shade.

"I'm waiting for someone," She replied, her frown deepening in worry.

"Ma'am, I don't think anyone could get here on foot in this heat. Head inside before you get sick," He replied.

"He said he would come," She softly said, then pulled out the letter.

"…_But if I do not arrive in Kakariko village by noon tomorrow, then I need you to head over to the castle and alert Princess Zelda._ How am I supposed to do that! I am just a commoner, a girl farmer, for the love of Nayru. I don't think she would know who he is!" She remarked, staring at the paper. But, then again, he did ask her to do it if he didn't return…

* * *

"You are going to the castle!" Anju said in surprise as she watched Malon sling a thin magenta blanket over Epona's back. The horse's saddle was lying on a small stack of hay nearby; it was too hot for Epona to wear.

"I am," Malon tersely replied as she hoisted herself up onto the saddle.

"Shouldn't you wait until it's not so hot outside?" Anju remarked.

"I can't, Link's counting on me!" Malon replied, and then she brought Epona into a wild gallop out of the barn into the blistering heat.

"I'm hurrying, Link! Please be okay!" She quietly whispered to herself as Epona raced past the gates and started to the castle.

* * *

"Link, darling! I have your outfit for the wedding! We made one just for you!" Link watched Ruto come skipping giddily in, holding the most atrocious thing he has ever seen. The outfit had a blue shirt, which had cream frills on the front and along the sleeves, and blue pants with frills along the hem.

"Isn't it perfect!" She squealed.

"Its hideous, I thought I saw the worst outfit before but you succeeded in making a worse one," He remarked in utter shock. He was not going to wear that!

"What's wrong with it? I stitched the frills on myself and the cloth is made of the same material your zora tunic is made of," Ruto asked worriedly.

"Everything, just like this whole marriage!" He retorted. Her face flushed purple and she scowled.

"You are still being as stubborn as ever. Well fine, I guess I won't grace you with my company and I'll continue to help with setting it up. You should just rest, we have a big day tomorrow," She growled, and then walked out with the frilly sleeves of the shirt flying out from behind her.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but her highness is not seeing anyone right now." Malon felt her exhaustion subside to anger as she noticed the haughty expression on the advisor's face.

"Could you tell her that I need to speak to her about a friend named Link?" She growled furiously.

"The princess does not offer _love advice_, farm girl," He responded snidely.

"No! Its not about that, Link is…"

"Excuse me, but did you just say Link?" A new voice interrupted.

"Mistress Impa! I didn't see you. I was just sending her off now!" The advisor replied in surprise as a tall white-haired woman stepped out of the shadows.

"Ma'am, you know who Link is?" Malon asked hopefully.

"Yes, I do. Has something happened?" She asked. The advisor looked at Impa with a slightly miffed expression.

"Yes, he sent me to ask Princess Zelda to help him," Malon replied.

"Mistress Impa, there is no need to rouse the princess from her studies for a _boy_…" the advisor snapped angrily, but his beet-red face blanched when Impa glared at him.

"Come with me," The woman said curtly, and then started walking off. Malon tried not to laugh as she passed by the indignant advisor.

* * *

'How did she do it! _How_!' Link thought indignantly as two zoras escorted him from the room he had been trapped in. He was dressed in the ludicrous outfit Ruto had made him, the frills made his skin itch and the cloth felt slick. He didn't even know how it happened,? He had been attempting to figure out a way to escape and suddenly a zora guard was roughly shaking him awake and saying it was time for the wedding.

"Are you ready?" The zora asked Link as they came out of the tunnel, he didn't wait for an answer. It was the altar of Lord Jabu-Jabu; it had been decorated lavishly in blue and cream. As Link stared horrified at the decorations, the zoras brought him to the altar. An old zora was standing in front of Jabu-Jabu, he and the overlarge fish both were looking rather bored. There were several zoras standing nearby, watching Link in interest and silently laughing at his outfit.

"It is time!" The zoras whispered and then stepped to the side. To his horror, he realized why as Ruto came out form the tunnel. She was dressed in extravagant jewelry: she had a collar made of pure gold and sparkling jewels, her arms and ankles were decorated in thin gold and platinum bangles, hanging from her ears were earrings so huge he couldn't believe she could keep her head up, and she carried the Zora Sapphire in her arms. When she arrived next to him, she gave him a peck on the cheek. Link felt like dying on the spot, he couldn't move because he was now utterly frightened. He, the holder of the Triforce of Courage, was terrified because he was now being forced into a marriage with a half-woman, half-fish.

"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here to witness the marriage of Princess Ruto and Sir Link…." The old man started, reciting everything from memory until a sudden yell interrupted him.

"Princess Ruto, I demand an explanation!" Everyone turned and saw the princess of Hyrule standing in all her glory at the tunnel, Malon standing nervously beside her.


	7. Princess Vs Princess

Malon turned a bright red when she noticed the outfit he had been unwillingly forced into. Her face turned a bright red, her eyes shined in laughter, and she turned away. Link only prayed to the goddesses no more people he knew would find him in the atrocious thing, his dignity would not be able to sustain such a blow.

"Princess Zelda? This is a surprise; you didn't send a courier that you would come. Have you come to celebrate my birthday with me and my to-be-husband?" Ruto giggled, the hylian princess did not return the smile the zora princess flashed at her.

"I have had several witnesses come to me and declare that you are forcing an unwanted marriage upon Link, not to mention the fact that three Terminian caravans were destroyed and five Terminians have drowned in a flooding that has also been influenced by you ." Zelda hissed as she stormed up the aisle. The audience of zoras quickly moved out of the way, whispering in confusion.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, my dear friend. Link has already agreed to the marriage. He has agreed for seven years," Ruto replied haughtily, a tinge of purple erupted on her cheeks.

"I have witnesses of Link being captured by your soldiers, Ruto. That, and you did not attempt to rebuke the accusations made against you with the flooding. That alone is a position of much disgrace," Zelda said. Ruto turned purple in fury.

"I will not tolerate this any longer. You have no proof and your accusations are ludicrous. As the princess of the zoras, I demand that you leave my realm now!" Ruto yelled, the guards nearby heard and stepped to the hylian princess. Link noticed a flicker of movement at the entrance near Malon, the guards Zelda brought were hiding there. The blonde princess looked at all of them and sighed, as if it were not going in the direction that she had been planning.

"Ruto, you know it is pointless," Zelda remarked. The zora princess hissed angrily and spun around.

"Let's continue, please," She asked the wizened zora, who was in shock from all the yelling that had interrupted the wedding.

"You cannot marry him, Ruto," Zelda remarked, ignoring the guards trying to lead her back to the tunnel. Ruto stiffened, and spun in fury.

"Pray tell why I can't, darling Zelda?" Ruto hissed, Zelda smugly grinned and lifted up her hand. On it was a ring, a plain ring with a crystal in the center. Link stared at it, that ring was the present he had given to Zelda for it was her sixteenth birthday. He had never seen her wear it, her father refused for her to wear plain jewelry such as the ring he had given her.

"Do you know what this is, Ruto?" Zelda asked snidely. Ruto began shaking so hard the jewelry she wore clattered. She spun and leapt at Link, shoving the startled and confused boy to the ground.

"_How…__**dare**__…you…Link! How…dare…you…marry…a…bitch…like…her…_" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her hands scratching at link's face in an attempt to scratch out his eyes. Link kicked her off, ignoring the red scratches on his face as he watched the princess leap back to her feet. Then, white bands of magic formed around her wrists, lifting the screaming princess off of her feet.

"The ring is a promise from friend to friend, Ruto. He saved me once, now it is time to return the favor. You are under arrest for kidnapping, damage to property, assault, and the deaths of five terminians," Zelda remarked tonelessly. Ruto shrieked in fury for her guards. They, however, didn't listen to her.

* * *

"Thank you Zelda, you saved me back there," Link said as Zelda finished healing his leg. With Ruto being safely escorted to the castle for a trail, she was able to use her magic to heal the broken leg.

"I am just glad I got here before you were suddenly married to Ruto," Zelda replied happily, wiping away a bead of sweat that had formed on her face. Malon came in, she had been asked to find the captain and the zora stood behind her nervously.

"Captain, I regret to inform you that your princess is under arrest," Zelda said, standing up as the captain walked in and gave her a salute.

"Milady, I wish to apologize in the sake of all my fellow zoras. We had no idea of Ruto's plans, but now King Zora has recovered from his sickness and will resume the throne Ruto had lurked on," He replied.

"Thank you for the news and please pass my greeting to his higness," Zelda formally replied. The captain smiled and left after a short bow.

"How are you feeling?" Malon asked nervously.

"I feel much better, now that I am back in my regular clothes and my leg is healed," Link replied with a bright smile, the two girls grinned back at him. Link slowly got up; his newly-healed leg only gave him a dull ache.

"Is Epona alright?" He asked as the group walked out, Zelda on his left side and Malon on the right.

"She is very well. Why was that zora so desperate to marry you?" Malon asked, Zelda hid a giggle as Link flushed.

"It's because our hero is so handsome…" Zelda answered Malon, and not caring if she acted undignified, elbowed the boy. The boy flushed angrily and it sent the two girls into fits of laughter that lasted until they left the Zora's Domain.

"Oh, right. Link, I advise you head out to Kokiri Forest and hide in the Forest Temple for a week or so," Zelda said suddenly, Link and Malon looked confusedly at her.

"Why?" They asked simultaneously.

"The Wild Hunt is starting in three days, it was the one thing Nabooru demanded when we forged the peace treaty," She replied. Malon scowled and glared at the ground, annoyed by what Zelda had said.

"Uh, Zelda, what is the Wild Hunt?" Link asked.

"It is an old Gerudo tradition. Every twelve years, the clan heads out into hylian land, searching for prospective mates. When they find one, they carry them back to their fortress, throw a feast to honor their gods, and then ravish the men they have taken. I only allowed it because it is a religious event, there is no way I could stop Nabooru from finding you and bringing you back to the fortress. It would break the peace treaty," Zelda replied.

"Oh, great. You mean I just escaped one crazy woman only to have to hide from a whole tribe of crazy women!" Link groaned, the two girls laughed at his misfortune as they walked on down the trail.

**

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A/N: Thank you for reading the story. There is a sequel to this story, which is called the Wild Hunt.


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